Georgia football great Todd Gurley takes the blame for Bulldogs' shock loss as 'Trump Curse' strikes again

Georgia Bulldogs great Todd Gurley II hasn't lost his sense of humor while stumping for GOP candidates with President Donald Trump.

The retired NFL running back traveled aboard Air Force One with the President on Friday's trip to Georgia, where Trump is endorsing US Senate candidate Mike Collins and a number of Congressional candidates in next month's elections.

Gurley faced some backlash from Trump critics before the trip, but far more vitriol from Georgia fans after the top-ranked Bulldogs' loss to the Auburn Tigers, 27-24, on Saturday in Athens. The problem, in the eyes of Dawgs loyalists, was the supposed 'Trump curse' – a recent spate of misfortune for athletes who crossed paths with the President.

Recent examples include the US men's national soccer team, which lost to Belgium in the World Cup after Trump intervened with FIFA on behalf of suspended forward Folarin Balogun. Another prominent example of the supposed curse occurred when New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart suffered a likely season-ending knee injury in a Week 3 loss after previously stumping with Trump in Westchester County.

Gurley took the high road after being implicated by furious Georgia fans.

'Damn,' he wrote on X, 'I done made UGA lose!!'

Former Georgia Bulldogs star Todd Gurley traveled aboard Air Force One with the President on Friday's trip to Georgia, where Donald Trump is endorsing US Senate candidate Mike Collins

Donald Trump listens as Todd Gurley speaks at a campaign rally at Dalton Municipal Airport

Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton, right, fumbles against Auburn on Saturday in Athens

Gurley's joke fell flat, not only with Georgia fans, but critics of Trump as well.

'Yes you did,' one Bulldogs fan wrote on X. 'He burns everything he touches to the ground you f***ing idiot.'

'Nobody forced you to take a political stance brother,' one angry X user wrote. 'Stop acting like a victim.'

'You did more damage than that,' another added. 'Terrible look.'

One Bulldogs fan was satisfied with Gurley's post, facetiously admitting blame for Saturday's loss: 'As long as you know bro.'

Gurley was a major star at Georgia from 2012 to 2014 before going on to earn NFL Offensive Player of the Year honors with the Los Angeles Rams in 2015. He finished his career in Georgia with the Atlanta Falcons in 2020.

Head coach Kirby Smart of the Georgia Bulldogs speaks with Head coach Alex Golesh of the Auburn Tigers following the 27-24 victory over the Georgia Bulldogs at Sanford Stadium

Auburn wide receiver Keshaun Singleton reacts after a college football game against Georgia

He is not the first prominent Georgia football personality to align with Trump on the political stage during this cycle, with Bulldogs quarterback Gunner Stockton previously attending a Trump campaign event in Rome in February.

Gurley also follows in the footsteps of another legendary Georgia running back, Herschel Walker, in throwing his weight behind Trump.

Walker, the 1982 Heisman Trophy winner and one of the most celebrated figures in program history, received Trump’s full endorsement during his high-stakes bid for the US Senate in 2022.

Walker ultimately fell short in that contest, suffering a defeat in a heated runoff against Democratic incumbent Sen. Raphael Warnock.

Trump subsequently appointed Walker to serve as the US ambassador to the Bahamas.

Trump’s latest visit underscores Georgia’s continued status as one of the nation’s most fiercely contested political battlegrounds heading into the midterms.